Most philosophers get it wrong about revenge, and Seneca was no exception. In his essays titled “On Anger” and “On Clemency,” he recommended to forget injury and insult, and abandon the idea of revenge.
Seneca gave extensive arguments against revenge when conceived as warlike. He said that, if we seek revenge, we’ll become “slaves to our passions.” He categorised revengeful individuals as irrational, short-sighted, and self-destructive.
His essay “On Anger” shows the problems generated by revenge, which I would categorise as an emotional plague that has inflicted vast damage in history. Seneca calls for letting go of revengeful attempts and thoughts.
Was Seneca right in his admonitions? His condemnation of revenge is similar to the Christian doctrine. We can regard him as a precursor or fellow traveller of Christianity in this respect.
I must however dissent on this matter. I don’t share Seneca’s recommendations in this area because his arguments are weak. In his argumentation, he tells us many stories, but those remain unconvincing.
For instance, in his essay “On Clemency,” Seneca praises Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) for pardoning his enemies instead of taking revenge. Caesar did indeed pardon many opponents, including Brutus and Cassius. However, those two later plotted against him and ended up assassinating him.
Views on Caesar and Augustus
Seneca’s praise for Caesar’s magnanimity does not match the course of events. It seems obvious that Caesar should have taken revenge, however mild, to prevent his opponents from plotting against him in the future. His magnanimity did him in, one could argue.
I wonder why Seneca did not recount the story of Licinius in this respect. If we trust the traditional version of the story, the poet Licinius had insulted Emperor Augustus (63 BC- 14 AD) and feared being punished with exile or worse.
Should we praise Augustus because, instead of punishing Licinius, he invited him for dinner and made him change his mind. As of that day, Licinius would only speak positive words about Augustus.
I wonder how Seneca would have rated Licinius’s story. I personally regard Augustus’ dinner invitation to Licinius as a form of revenge. Augustus did not need to exercise violence to get his point across.
He just called Licinius for a private conversation and made some veiled threats. Those proved more than sufficient to solve the problem and intimidate others who, like Licinius, might feel tempted to criticise Augustus.
For Augustus, the soft exercise of power proved the perfect revenge. The lesson to be learned is the following: it is often counterproductive to engage in vendettas that will compound problems. Why not seek a clever solution that prevents the problem from recurring?
Alexander the Great and Themistocles
Seneca wrote in his essay “On Anger” that he considered revenge a sign of emotional weakness and “lack of wisdom.” To prove his point, he gives examples of individuals behaving stupidly, such as Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) getting drunk and then killing his friend Cleitus during a discussion.
The example only shows that drunkards do all sorts of stupid things because they are unable to think clearly. I would not call Alexander’s reaction as “revenge” because he didn’t know what he was doing.
If Alexander had been sober, it is obvious that he would not have killed his friend for making a comment. Chances are that Alexander would have given careful thought to Cleitus’ words and looked for a clever solution.
Seneca seems to have forgotten that Aristotle (384-322 BC) had been the teacher of Alexander the Great, instilling in him a sound logic and curiosity. It’s regrettable that Alexander would get drunk at times, but drunkenness does not constitute a valid argument against revenge.
What about the example I have given above, Themistocles (524-459 BC) and the opposition he had suffered? His actions had protected Athens against the Persian invasion, but later, his compatriots turned against him and harmed his reputation.
I think that Themistocles’ story exemplifies the opposite of quiet acceptance. Confronted with the tortious attitude of the Athenians and the attacks against his reputation, Themistocles wisely opted for going away and offering his services to the Persian king Artaxerxes I.
Seneca and Scipio Africanus
Themistocles exercised his revenge by simply sailing away, and seeking someone who would appreciate his skills. Without his skills, Athens grew weaker, and was defeated and enslaved.
His revenge was clever enough. By leaving his offenders to their own devices, they ended up digging their own graves. Let us learn the correct lesson from the story.
Seneca drew the wrong conclusions from the story of Scipio Africanus (236-183 BC). He had praised Scipio for leaving Carthage standing after the war, instead of destroying it totally.
However, he overlooked that Scipio’s magnanimity enabled Carthage to resurge and engage new hostilities. I wonder what would have happened if Scipio had acted more resolutely. If he had assessed future risks, he might have made a different decision.
Seneca should have advocated a thoughtful response in each case, which doesn’t necessarily mean a renunciation of revenge and recovery of damages; reason should determine the optimal response in each situation.
Emperor Nero (37-68 AD) proved a cruel psychopath who was to blame for many abuses. I will just mention the unjust deaths of his stepbrother Britannicus (41-55 AD), of general Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo (7-67 AD), and of Seneca himself.
If someone had found a peaceful, clever way to stop Nero, I cannot imagine that Seneca would have condemned him. Many innocent lives would have been saved and history might have taken a better course.
Let us work for tolerance and peacefulness, but in this area, we should take Seneca’s advice with a grain of salt. I am afraid that his historical examples lead to conclusions that oppose or undermine his own arguments.
If you are interested in applying rational ideas in all sorts of situations, I recommend my book “Undisrupted: How highly effective people deal with disruptions.”
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